Episode 245 - Hanky Panky: An Unintentional Speakeasy

In this eye-opening conversation with Walter Meyenberg, founder of Hanky Panky, some of the topics we discuss include: Why this bar, which is so famous for being a modern "speakeasy," wasn't originally planned that way, and how they evolved from not even charging for drinks to winning international awards for hospitality. What it's like to locate, enter, and drink at Hanky Panky, according to our mixological travel correspondent, Adam Bauer. How Walter thinks about developing individual members of his bar team and building a community of international "friends of Hanky Panky," and why this people-first mentality allowed the program to thrive, even during the pandemic. We also explore some of Walter's other projects, like his bar Casa de las Brujas, which places an all-female bar team in the spotlight, and Liquid Show, an educational initiative launched in partnership with other leading bar figures in Mexico City. Along the way, we cover the books that inspired Walter's approach to hospitality, the design aesthetic behind throne-like bar stools and mirrored tables, foundational memories of being fed and pampered by his Lebanese mother, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life. Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.